Web Design + Development

Nowadays, in all reality, a company’s website is truly one of the most important aspects of the business. A unique, representative website to promote online exposure has become paired with success. In fact, not having a website, or some sort of web presence, sucks credibility from a business, thus turning customers away.

When looking for a website designer, my thoughts are: do it once, and do it right. Thoroughly brainstorm all aspects of the desired website including flow, color scheme, menu location, content, plans for the future, etc. Research and thought is the key to success along with finding the right website designer. See below tips on web design and finding the right designer:

Search Engine Optimization
Creating an effective, functional website is not for amateurs, and often requires a well-versed team. For example, it’s highly unlikely a Flash designer is familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), and an e-commerce expert can create Flash banners. This is like asking a lawyer to perform a physical — it just doesn’t happen. Time and time again, I see amazing Flash websites with meta titles and descriptions that are horribly incorrect and, if anything, harmful. The classic mistake is leaving the title as index or index.html; it kills me every time. When looking for a web designer, ensure the company/designer is familiar with search engine optimization, and if not, have them outsource the SEO or find a company yourself. Proper, targeted SEO is just as important as website design itself. I’m not kidding.

Build for the Future
When looking for a website designer, and reviewing designs/technology, ensure the site is built with the future in mind. For example, don’t design a site menu in a tight space — additional categories will be difficult to add. Is the site built to handle 500,000+ visitors? How difficult is it to update pages/content? These are all important things to think about when looking for a web designer.

Custom or Not-So-Custom?
When looking for a company to design a website, another key thing to clarify is whether the site will be custom, or will use pre-built designs/programming (such as templates). The cost for a website built with a template should be over 75% less than a custom site.

Hosting — Who, What, When, Where, Why, How?
Where a website will be hosted is extremely important, as is the server’s uptime, whether or not they offer 24/7 customer service, server technologies, etc. Without hosting, a website will simply show an error page, which is the worst possible scenario. This will, 99% of the time, turn customers away and ruin one’s reputation forever. Reliable hosting for a company website is imperative and a solid, stable website host should be locked in prior to developing a website. (I use Media Temple on a regular basis.)

If the above information has helped, be sure to bookmark this article by clicking the below icons. We will love you forever.

If your business is looking for an experienced website designer, please feel free to give us a call and we will be glad to discuss your project in-depth. We enjoy providing feedback and information on web design and internet marketing. Feel free to give us a call at 310-876-0874 or visit our Contact Page.